Are you the person in charge of your fleet fuel bill? Do you have nightmares about the amount your drivers over spending on diesel and petrol?  Here at Forecourt Fuel Cards we have load of tips to make your fleet more fuel efficient, some of these can include monitoring drivers exceeding a pre-agreed miles per gallon (mpg) figure or those with excessively high fuel bills.

Our research shows that driving at 50 mph can use 25% less fuel than at 70mph; a reduction from 80 to 70mph can save 40p every 10 miles and driving at 90mph can use 60% more fuel than at 70mph.

But it is one thing preaching better, more fuel-efficient driving styles – getting drivers to follow this advice is quite another.
Incentives can be introduced to persuade staff to drive more efficiently or opt for more economic vehicles.

Keeping on top of where your fuel bill is being used can be a logistical nightmare at the best of times and regular driving tips just don’t get through to some drivers.

Offering encouragement and rewards can help reduce the overall fuel bill and a review of vehicle policy can provide savings.

Another way of taking control of your fleet fuel consumption is by using Fuelcards, a fuel card looks and works in a similar way to a credit card but with a few fundamental differences.
Firstly a fuelcard will save you money on each litre of fuel that you buy. It is also usually restricted to only allow the purchase of diesel / petrol, secondly, when it is used to make a purchase, both the vehicle registration and mileages are recorded against the respective transactions. Finally, your fuel card invoice also doubles up as a fuel management report, showing date / time / place of each sale, registration number, mileage of the vehicle collecting the fuel and of course how much was drawn. It will also then go on to separate the VAT element of all transactions for you.

Please check out this video for more information:

In other news,Saving Money on Diesel and Petrol

Did you know we can save you a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards? 

Visit www.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk  for more information

One in three motorists have voiced concerns that mileage reimbursement rates given by their employer were unfair when driving on behalf of the business.

The survey revealed that 66.7% of the drivers asked were satisfied with the amount they were eligible to claim for. During 2011 the Government released guidelines on fuel mileage rates for business vehicles, with the objective to reduce the time spent on calculating fuel rates for both employer and employee alike.

According to the survey there is controversy surrounding the government guidelines, as employees have the possibility of losing out if the guideline rates are used too rigidly. The report shows that employees can be left financially out of pocket; warning employers that this may leave them susceptible to the danger of employees inflating their claims in order to make up their financial loss.

Time to look at getting a Fuel Card?

If you spend too much time carrying out administrative tasks for your fleet or want to circumvent rising fuel costs we can help. Our Fuel cards will allow you to purchase fuel at the most cost efficient rate form our UK networks.

Our range of fuel cards will make the process of managing your fleet simple; you can make excellent savings and gain additional purchase control over your fleet’s costs. We supply a large number of fuel cards for both UK and European coverage, giving us the ability to meet almost any need.

Did you know we can save you a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards?  

Visit www.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk for more information.

Here at Forecourt Fuel Cards we understand that managing a fleet of vehicles is one of the biggest challenges faced by fleet companies right now. We have an expert understanding of these problems and offer a range of tailor made solutions to eliminate these challenges. Here are the top five concerns of fleet companies and what our range of Fuel Cards can do to eliminate them.

1. The fuel hike

We are all sick and tired of paying sky high diesel and petrol prices and we are beginning to wonder if and when pump prices will ever stop going up.
Fuel costs have hit all-time highs recently and in many cases can make a huge dent in your profits and balance sheet if not carefully managed.
Perhaps you’ve had a fuel card account before but were left disillusioned after empty promises of savings from the supplier that never materialised?
Finding the right fuel card company that can deliver on those promises can be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

2. Savings

We will GUARANTEE that you save a minimum of 3pence per litre off national average pump prices. This unique offer from Forecourt Fuels ensures you pay the lowest possible rates and safeguards you against any unnecessary price increases.
Imagine if you could couple that price guarantee with a bespoke network of service stations, tailored to suit your vehicles routes throughout the UK.
Don’t worry, getting lower fuel prices doesn’t mean you have to compromise on the site coverage available to you by driving off route to find a station or worse still, risk running out of fuel trying to find the nearest site!

3. Managing complex fleets

Regardless of whether you’re a one man band running one vehicle or a fleet manager for a national business with a large fleet of cars, vans and trucks, along of course with the large group of drivers or employees that goes with them, Forecourt Fuels can help you manage your re-fuelling more effectively.

4. Keeping on track

Keeping track of fuel spend isn’t always easy with vehicles constantly on the road. Compared to cash or a credit card, Forecourt Fuel Cards are far more secure because the purchase restrictions can guarantee that only fuel is being bought by your drivers. Also, the management reports we provide will both instantly eliminate the administrative burden of entering individual fuel receipts into your books (not to mention that you will never fail to reclaim VAT due to a lost receipt again) and make purchase control easier because you can see at a glance what each vehicle/driver is using. You can even run and download your own bespoke reports using Velocity, our free, cutting edge online technology.

5. Security

In terms of security, when using one of our fuel cards, you’re buying fuel through the most secure method available, as you decide what each card will be able to purchase, starting with diesel only, right up to everything the forecourt shop has to offer.

Achieve added control over your fuel purchases whilst saving money. www.forecourtfuels.co.uk will help you to manage your account and transactions for optimum efficiency and convenience.

Driving can be stressful, tiring, and demanding on the mind and body, yet little thought is given to the physical wellbeing of employees when they are behind the wheel.

At-work drivers are almost 50% more at risk of accidents than other motorists, even with higher mileage taken into account. They account for a third of all collisions, or 1,000 deaths and 13,000 serious injuries each year in the UK and, according to RoSPA, many of these could be avoided by explaining the benefits of a healthier lifestyle more clearly.

We’ve looked at some of the key health areas affected by driving and how motorists can improve their mind and body, to be fitter and safer behind the wheel.

The problem of a tired mind on drivers

Symptoms: Although alcohol is commonly perceived to be the biggest cause of accidents, sleep deprivation can actually impair driving more than being over the legal blood/alcohol limit. A lack of deep sleep causes the brain to process information more slowly, delaying reaction times and reducing the driver’s ability to concentrate or make decisions.

Effects: A recent study by Loughborough University showed fatigue was a contributory factor in 20% of fatal or serious motorway crashes. Tired drivers are also 50% more likely to be seriously injured or killed than those who are properly rested, because in many cases they don’t make an attempt to avoid the crash. Yet research by the Department for Transport showed over half of respondents had driven while they were tired, adding that the figure was limited because it only covered those who admitted to it.

Cure: Short naps of up to 15 minutes are the best way to boost alertness. Caffeinated drinks can be helpful too, but research in America has shown the effects are short-lived, with slow reaction times returning within an hour. Naps and caffeine should be seen as emergency solution, though. The best cure is to plan drivers’ duty cycles to avoid extended working hours.

Caffeine is a one-hit fix, but not a cure

Energy drinks are good as a quick fix, but they’re no substitute for regular breaks. Having a high-caffeine drink is a one-off hit – you can’t repeat it, as this type of drink does not produce the same effect in a couple of hours’ time.’

Big meals burn energy and cause tiredness

Symptoms: During digestion, the brain diverts blood to the gut to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream, causing a drop in oxygen to the brain itself. The larger the meal, the more energy is required to digest it and the more drivers will feel drowsy as a result.

Carbohydrate-rich meals, such as chips or pasta, can also be problematic. The high glucose content of these foods causes the body to release insulin to speed up absorption into the body, but causes a rise in the levels of a chemical called tryptophan in the brain. When it reaches the brain, tryptophan is converted to melatonin, which is a hormone that promotes sleep.

Effects: The period between 2pm and 4pm is the second most common time for fatigue-related accidents, and these are often caused by the after-effects of eating a large meal.

Cure: Drivers should avoid stodgy lunchtime meals in favour of lighter snacks and salads to kerb early-afternoon drowsiness and stay hydrated to maintain concentration – the brain relies on water to function properly. Taking a break after a large meal can also reduce the risks.

Take a packed lunch rather than stock up at services

Jill Joyce, senior policy and research adviser at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), recommends taking sandwiches, bottled water and a flask of coffee or tea for long trips, avoiding the temptation to rely on whatever fat and sugar-rich snacks are available at motorway services and fuel stations en route.

Stress causes bad decisions to be made

Symptoms: The feeling is caused by the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism that prepares us for physical challenges. Under pressure, this causes the brain to release adrenaline, a stimulant, which increases heart rate, tenses the muscles and changes the way we process information.

Effects: While this allows us to make decisions more quickly, which is ideal for responding to immediate threats, stress usually means they’re not considered fully, which can be dangerous when driving a car. Drivers under stress make decisions because they are thinking instinctively and short term, a sort of “tunnel vision” and not planning and assessing their actions over longer term.

Prolonged periods of stress are also very tiring for the body, and over time leads to the same slower brain functions as fatigue.

Cure: Stress is caused by not feeling in control, so preparation for every journey can help at least take that element of uncertainty out of the equation. Neil Greig says: ‘Knowing what to expect ahead in terms of delays, giving yourself plenty of time for the journey, having fuel in the car, knowing the car is in good shape mechanically and knowing your route etcetera will all help reduce worry.’

Music has also been shown to calm drivers. Softer tunes can slow brainwaves, which in turn lead to a reduction in the heightened heart rate and breathing caused by stress.

Work is stressful, and driving doesn’t help

RoSPA says 85% of motorists find driving itself stressful, regardless of other pressures, so ensuring drivers are fully prepared, trained and relaxed for the journey is vital.

The problem of poor posture on the body

Effects: Long periods of being sat in badly adjusted seats puts stress on muscles and joints, leading to long-term neck, arm, leg and back pain.

Cure: Many companies give advice to avoid poor posture while using computers, heavy machinery or other office equipment. But it’s just as important to ensure drivers adjust their driving position appropriately too: RoSPA advises fleets to consider work vehicles in the same bracket as other heavy machinery. At the very least, a decent demo session should be undertaken, especially for long distance drivers before they commit to a car for three or four years.

Most cars now offer heavily adjustable seats, rake and reach adjustment for steering wheels and headrests which can be fixed to prevent whiplash in an accident – if they don’t, should they be on the choice list?

www.forecourtfuels.co.uk can show you the best deals based on your individual requirements, from your estimated fuel spend to the size of your fleet.  

A Lithuanian lorry driver was banned from the road for drink-driving just two hours after being charged because he appeared at a fast-track virtual court.

Romualdas Rocys, 48, was stopped by Kent Police at the Port of Dover on Tuesday evening after security staff saw his Scania articulated lorry being driven erratically.

Rocys’s breath test showed he had 120 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

He appeared at a magistrates’ court from the police station via the virtual court system after he was charged with the offence at 9.21am and he pleaded guilty. By 11.35am, he was disqualified from driving for 36 months, fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £85 in costs.

Detective Inspector Bob Platt, from Kent Police, said: “Under normal circumstances a person would be bailed to return to court after being charged. This means that between the date of charge and the court appearance that person can drive their vehicle.

“By using the virtual court network a defendant can lose their licence on the same day as charge and therefore the chances of them being a danger on the roads and reoffending is limited.”

“An HGV is a deadly weapon in the wrong hands and the consequences of driving a lorry whilst drunk are severe.”

The virtual courts initiative began in May 2009 in London at Camberwell Green and in Kent. It has now been extended to Cheshire and Hertfordshire.

In other  news, Institute of Highway Engineers calls for a HGV ban on Sunday motorways.

Achieve added control over your fuel purchases. www.forecourtfuels.co.uk will help you to manage your account and transactions for optimum efficiency and convenience.

Haulage firms across the country have criticized calls for HGVs to be banned from motorways on a Sunday.

The feeling is that on top of all the other obstacles Haulage and Fleet companies have faced in recent times, this one if it were to go ahead would be particularly damaging to business.

The incoming president of the Institute of Highway Engineers, Richard Hayes, is calling on the UK to consider the ban.

But HGV and Fleet drivers have criticized the suggestion and say it would lead to more traffic chaos during the week.

John Fairbrother, of Barron Wood Distribution Ltd, which has a depot in Much Hoole near Preston, said: “I don’t agree at all. Definitely not.

“It is the lifeblood of the country. The laws that governs trucks are already quite strict. A ban would force more vehicles onto the motorways on the other six days of the week.”

John Gornall of JF Gornall, in Longridge, said: “What goes in shops without going on wheels?

“Unfortunately if they want stuff in the shops they have got to go on the roads. People wouldn’t be getting their deliveries, it would definitely have an impact.”

Richard Hayes had earlier called for the ban claiming it would bring the UK in line with the rest of Europe.

He said: “Restricting HGVs’ use of the road network on Sundays is commonplace throughout the rest of Europe and it is something I strongly believe we should consider introducing in the UK.

“Weekends should be a relaxing time on our roads when the network is used mainly by the general public going about their leisure activities. Many drivers are intimidated by heavy lorries thundering up and down our motorways and major A roads.

“Surely it is not too much to ask that we take some of the tension out of the system for one day a week.”

Mr Hayes wants the issue investigated by the Department of Transport.

In other Fleet and HGV news, Fleet & Haulage companies still concerned with pump prices

Achieve added control over your fuel purchases. www.forecourtfuels.co.uk will help you to manage your account and transactions for optimum efficiency and convenience.

Chancellor George Osborne has announced that fuel duty will be frozen for the rest of the year, cancelling a planned increase in August.

Fuel duty was due to rise by 3p a litre in August. Hauliers and motoring associations had called on Osborne to cancel the hike in his budget earlier this year.

At the time the Chancellor insisted the hike would go ahead, so his U-turn on Tuesday is yet another plank of the Budget to be reversed. It follows policy reversals on the Pasty Tax and the Charity Tax.

The government says its series of freezes on fuel duty mean that petrol is 10p cheaper than it would have been if all the rises had been introduced.

The Treasury said the U-turn was triggered by the deteriorating economic situation and said senior ministers had been considering the move for some time.

They rejected claims that the move was in response to calls from Labour’s Ed Balls earlier on Tuesday, who said the £500m underspend at the Olympics should be chaneled into a petrol tax cut.

Speaking in the Commons shortly after the announcement Balls told MPs: “We’ve now had U-turns on pasties, churches, caravans, skips, and today a U-turn on fuel, which we welcome.

“It would be interesting to know at what point the decision was made and if the transport secretary was told,” Balls went on, calling on the chancellor to perform further U-turns on tax breaks for millionaires and the so-called Granny Tax.

Did you know we can save you a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards?  

Visit www.forecourtfuels.co.uk for more information.

New research by the (FTA) Freight Transport Association, shows that operating costs for heavy goods vehicles are at the highest they have ever been.

According to the FTA, the constant rising price of fuel is to blame for the crippling operating costs and is leaving the UK freight industry struggling to compete with haulage companies all over Europe.

Simon Chapman, FTA’s Chief Economist, says: “The high price of diesel is the number one concern keeping hauliers awake at night. Fuel now represents around 40 per cent of annual operating costs compared to around a third just three years ago.”

Between April 2011 and April 2012, the increased cost of diesel alone pushed the running costs of a 44 tonne articulated vehicle up by the equivalent of £1,900 per year.

“Whilst operating costs have now reached an all-time high, hauliers face pressure from customers not to raise their haulage rates and are seeing overall levels of activity fall as the economy slides back into recession. As a result, hauliers are struggling to keep their balance sheets in the black, with a growing number having to close their gates permanently,” Chapman continued.

According to the FTA, UK diesel duty is on average 24 pence per litre higher than the rest of Europe. A foreign carrier entering the UK with a full tank of fuel can potentially undertake a week’s work using low-cost fuel purchased on the continent, before returning to mainland Europe.

Chapman argues: “There is a compelling case for an immediate cut in diesel duty. Independent research undertaken by the Centre for Economic and Business Research shows a modest 3 pence per litre cut in duty today would be cash neutral to the Treasury within 12 months.

“The loss in revenue from duty would be fully offset by extra revenues and savings on the public purse resulting from more rapid economic growth.”

In other news, 5 tips that can cut your fleet costs by £200 !

Did you know we can save you a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards?  

Visit www.forecourtfuels.co.uk for more information.

The Transport Minister is considering whether to increase fixed penalty fines for motoring offences such as speeding and also the introduction of greater punishments for more serious offences such as dangerous driving.
The current £60 fixed penalty charge for less serious motoring offences could rise to £90 in order to act as more of a deterrent to motorists, but speeding is not the only offence that could be punished by a fixed penalty.

Other motoring offences that are not currently punished with a fixed penalty such as “tail-gating”, erratic braking or undertaking another vehicle could in future be treated in the same way as speeding offences.
For more serious offences such as driving without insurance, which currently incurs a £200 fine, it is proposed that this is increased by 50% to reflect the relative seriousness of this offence.

The current levels of penalty fines were set in 2000 and there is a view that with no adjustment having been made for inflation, the severity of the punishment has actually diminished over time and may require revision. With motoring costs such as car insurance and fuel prices proving to be a heavy burden for all motorists in tough times, proposed increases in fixed penalty charges may not be well received.

In other news, Fleets Drivers are warned about Police clampdown on drink driving.

Fuel cards give your fleet drivers an easier and safer alternative to cash or plastic at the pumps. 

Check out www.forecourtfuels.co.uk to see which package best suits your fleet’s needs.